Suppose a student is driving along a road to their college. Along the way, their attention is caught by a theater playing a recently-released attractive-looking movie. As the desire to watch that movie captivates them, they act on it and their intention to go to their college gets sabotaged.

During our life-journey, hundreds of things distract our attention – all the more so in today’s media-animated techno-driven culture. Today’s corporate-controlled media pumps millions of dollars into cutting edge research to determine the most efficacious ways to snag the attention of potential consumers and inject into them desires for the advertised products. The Bhagavad-gita (02.62) cautions that whatever catches our attention triggers our imagination and drags us towards indulgence, thereby destroying our intelligence and sabotaging our intention.

How can we prevent such sabotage? By watching what we watch. Such vigilance is best cultivated by studying Gita wisdom which makes us aware of not just our vulnerable material situation but also our immense spiritual potential. We are eternal beings meant for a life of enduring fulfillment by cultivating a loving relationship with our eternal Lord, Krishna, who is the all-attractive Whole.

We can redirect our consciousness from the world towards Krishna by practicing bhakti-yoga, and practicing it with purpose and urgency. Just as a student going for an important time-sensitive exam won’t let their mind dwell on movies, we too won’t let our minds get distracted by fleeting worldly pleasures if we realize that we have the supreme opportunity to relish everlasting happiness provided we can make Krishna our foremost object of attraction before our ordained time in this life runs out.

By practicing bhakti-yoga with purpose and urgency, we can protect our mind from worldly captivation. And, more importantly, we can power it with devotional intention, propelling it towards enduring spiritual absorption and satisfaction thereof.

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